A Cabin in the Woods? What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
by Cornerofmadness
Summary: Malcolm is over the moon to be included in the Halloween invites.


**Title**– A Cabin in the Woods? What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

**Disclaimer** \- I don't own the characters. Chris Fedak and Sam Sklaver do.

**Author's Note** –Happy Halloween. This was written for Whumptober 2019 for the prompt: shaky hands

XXX

Malcolm felt Gil's eyes burning a hole in him and wished his mentor would keep his eyes on the narrow, barely paved road. He didn't need to be told Gil worried about tonight.

"You sure you want to do this?" Gil asked not for the first time.

"We're practically there at this point. I don't want you to miss the party." Malcolm stared out the window at the forest that had swallowed them whole. "Someone thought to ask me to a Halloween party. It was hard to say no."

"Edrisa didn't know about the whole woods thing when she invited you," Gil said.

Malcolm nodded. "It's not like I haven't worked cases in the woods before." Of course, this was the first time since memories started boiling over about the station wagon, the secret trip to the woods and the knife. God, had his father really held his hand over Malcolm's on a hilt? Did they stab anyone together? Why the hell couldn't he remember? It didn't help his recent failure with a child-sadist was in his mind, though others might argue it hadn't been a failure.

Malcolm had been thrilled to get Edrisa's invite. He wasn't good at socializing and he never did well at parties, in spite of his mother's indoctrination into the party life. He'd been so happy to have someone on the team who wanted to spend time with him off the clock that his mouth said yes before his brain even figured out what that might actually mean for him.

Edrisa had lit up like the noonday sun. He hadn't had the heart to back out. If there was anything he know about the forensic scientist, it was she was almost as socially awkward as he was and that she might just have a crush on him. She was certainly a fan of how his mind worked and when was the last time either of those things happened? He might not know anyone at this party but her and Gil but that was fine. He'd just get a drink, sit in the corner and people watch.

"You sure you know where you're going, Gil?" He saw nothing ahead but more woods and darkness.

"Yes. Edrisa's family owns the cabin."

"A cabin in the woods. What could go wrong?" Malcolm grinned, and then sat forward as Gil rounded a bend in the road. In front of them was a cabin lit with creepy blue and purple lights. Dozens of horrific tableaus had been set up in the woods. He was sure he'd been to haunted attractions that hadn't had this much going on and with far less attention to detail. The spiderweb cocooned bodies – four of them – hanging from a tall oak tree gave him the shivers.

"Did I mention how much Edrisa loves Halloween?" Gil dead panned.

"Would never have guessed."

Gil shot him the gimlet eye as he parked next to the largish collection of cars. They both got hats out of the back seat; Indiana Jones's fedora for Gil and a top hat with goggles for him. His Halloween outfit – because he didn't like the idea of renting clothing – was something he'd purchased for undercover work a few years back when the FBI had been tracking a serial rapist who liked teens and transporting them over state lines. Steampunk conventions and anime cons had been his hunting grounds and Malcolm had been thrilled to stop him.

Music roiled out of the nicely sized cabin. People milled about on the porch, on the grounds and inside. Edrisa spotted him and Gil almost immediately. She raced over to them, snakes in her hair.

"You made it! I'm so glad," she bubbled.

"Thanks for inviting me. Nice Medusa, Edrisa," Malcolm said.

She primped her snakes. "Thank you. Great steampunk outfit. It suits you and Indiana Jones? That's perfect sir."

"Thank you, Edrisa." Gil smiled.

"The bar is in the back. All I ask is if you drink, you chip in a little. Also, my friend, Sawyer brews his own stuff. He has sarsaparilla in the big machine outside but…" Edrisa paused as JT and Dani swooped up. JT was dressed like a hippie nearly making Malcolm laugh. Dani had opted for curved ram's horns and claws.

"Hey, Gil," JT said then his gaze slipped to Malcolm and he smirked. "Told you, Dani, if he showed up, he'd be in the fussiest costume ever."

"You said he'd be in a suit," she countered.

He gestured to Malcolm's frock coat and brocaded vest. "And he is."

"It's steampunk," Edrisa said in Malcolm's defense. "And he looks good in it," she added before ducking her head, embarrassed by the fact she had noticed him in even the most casually sexual of ways. "Anyhow, as I was saying Sawyer also brews his own beer. You'll find an IPA, a lager and a porter."

"Ooo, porter, definitely the porter." Malcolm perked up.

"Make if two if you don't mind, kid." Gil patted him on the shoulder.

"Sure. Can I get something from anyone else?" Malcolm asked.

JT lifted his can of beer. "I'm good."

"I'm the designated driver," Dani added.

"So's Gil so hopefully we both don't die in his car."

"Don't worry. I'm not about to wrap Baby around a tree."

Malcolm snorted and went to fetch the two porters. Dani and JT were already gone back into the crowd by the time he got the beers. He let Gil go off and do the social butterfly thing. Malcolm milled about the inside of the cabin taking in the fact not one spare inch was devoid of something Halloweeny. Edrisa had to have a storage unit for all of this. He'd have to tell her how much he liked it.

He spoke to no one and other than someone dressed as slutty cat, no one spoke to him. Eventually he cycled himself out of the general population and to the great outdoors. The scent of pine and vanilla filled his head as he sat in one of the plastic chairs near the fire pit that Frankenstein was trying to get started. Malcolm half hoped the scent – as the sense of smell was the most potent of memory triggers – would help him remember those days in the woods with his father. The pumping Halloween music, however, was counterproductive in that regard.

Malcolm took in a deep breath, trying to cast his mind back. Vaguely aware that his hand had begun to shake uncontrollably, Malcolm tried to force the memories to come. All he got for his efforts was a more pronounced shake.

"Hey, dude, you're shaking out."

Startled, Malcolm glanced up to see JT and Dani looming over him. He grabbed the shaking hand, trying to still it. Failing that he jammed it into his pocket, feeling it flail like a landed fish against his thigh. "Have you tried the porter? It really is quite good. I should go talk to this Sawyer fellow. Brewing beer is an interesting subject though I've never had the time or space to try it myself. I…."

"Dude, breathe." JT smirked as Dani pushed him toward one of the other chairs by the now-going fire. Frankenstein headed back to the cabin, his task done.

Were JT and Dani a couple? Malcolm didn't think so, but they were close. That was plain to see. Dani took the seat next to Malcolm. "Are you okay?"

He nodded. "I'm amazing." He employed his standard over the top lie. No wonder his FBI bosses had misread him as a narcissist like his father.

"Liar," Dani had no problems calling him on his bull crap.

"Honestly I didn't know it was a party in the woods though I have to admit, Edrisa puts on a great Halloween party."

"She always does," Dani agreed.

"Did your father use places like this?" JT asked lowly, blunt as hell, earning a sharp look from Dani. Malcolm appreciated the straightforwardness, though thoughts of Gil's warning he and JT wouldn't like each other echoed in his brain. Gil hadn't been wrong at least not entirely. Malcolm didn't mind JT but definitely had the idea that JT wasn't a fan of his.

Malcolm nodded. "He did. I'm trying to remember a time just before he was captured. Being out here might help."

Dani scowled. "Gil didn't bring you out here for that."

"No, he tried to stop me." Maybe he should have listened, but he had so wanted to return Edrisa's kindness in inviting him, truly wanted to fit in here. At that thought, his hand shook more. He had to take it out of his pocket, letting it rock back and forth against his knee as he drained his beer. Maybe he should go inside, go deeper in the woods, go somewhere where he could hide his fear. He didn't like being so different, but he was stuck with it. What he minded was being othered in front of people who were supposed to be his partners.

"Can I ask you a question without you getting even more jittery?" JT went solemn and Dani hushed with.

"The only way to answer that is to hear the question," Malcolm replied. He didn't want to answer questions but if it made JT trust him by the end maybe it would be worth it.

JT glanced over suddenly as someone in a skeleton costume headed for the fire pit. "Hey, Grant, can you do me a favor? Can you bring me another Miller and, a porter, right?" he asked, and Malcolm nodded. "One of Sawyer's. We're in the middle of something and it's thirsty work. Want another water, Dani?"

"I'll get myself another sarsaparilla in a minute."

But not until she heard the question, Malcolm was sure of that. Grant agreed to play errand boy. Malcolm grabbed his shaking hand with his other one, trying to make himself relax.

"Gil told us you saved his life. How true is that?" JT asked. "Is he being serious because he has this weird relationship with you and I'm not sure how biased he is."

Malcolm took a deep breath. That wasn't so bad. He could talk about this without being worked up and he appreciated JT thought to get him another beer. "I think it would be more accurate to say that Gil saved me."

"He said you saved a lot of lives," Dani said gently.

He shrugged. "I called the police on my own father. Gil was the one they sent. At first, he thought it was a prank or maybe that I was mad at my dad for some punishment or other but…he believed me. I told him to take out his gun, that my dad was going to kill him, and he believed me."

"So that really happened," JT pressed him.

Malcolm clenched his jaw and the shakes intensified. This was harder than he thought. "Yes. If he hadn't believed me, he would have drunk the tea laced with ketamine and been the next victim of the Surgeon."

He dropped his gaze then brought it up as Grant returned with their drinks. Luckily someone else called Grant's name and he left them alone, freeing Malcolm to finish his story. He took a sip of the smooth porter. "But Gil listened to me, but it didn't end there. He kept checking back with me afterward. Even when I was too traumatized to speak, he was there. Over the years he and Jackie were always there." He bit his lower lip. "Until she passed."

Dani rested a hand on his shaking arm. "So, it's not a weird relationship. Gil's just playing Papa Bear." 

JT grunted. "Sounds like Gil."

"Guess that's the truth of it. He stepped in and was the father I needed. I don't say that often." Malcolm took another sip. The beer might unknot him a little. "I shouldn't drink this," he muttered, thinking it was loosening his tongue a bit too much.

"You drunk, now that's something to see I'm sure." JT chuckled.

"It's really not. I just talk more."

"Can not imagine that." JT shook his head. "I'm still sorry I missed you high as a kite."

Malcolm rolled his eyes and Dani kicked JT's ankle.

"It wasn't funny," Dani said. "Though you did dump out your feelings about having Gil as a father."

"I do not remember that. I think there was something about axes." Malcolm made a face, and then spotted Gil heading their way. JT and Dani hadn't seen him yet.

"And stinky cheese which by the way, what in the hell is wrong with you? Nothing that smelled like that should be eaten ever." Dani nudged him.

"It's delicious."

"Axes? You are one messed up dude. And I stand by it, I'm sorry I missed high you."

"JT," Dani groaned.

"Okay, how about I'm sorry I missed you knocking his ass out?" JT chuckled and quaffed his cheap beer.

"There will probably be other times." Malcolm sighed. "What's up, Gil? Something wrong?"

"No." Gil slung himself into one of the chairs. "Just making sure the children are all playing nice." He gave JT a look. "And Edrisa wants you back in the cabin, Malcolm."

He tapped his chest. "Me?"

JT snickered at his plaintive tone. "I'm afraid to imagine why."

"She has some appetizer she thinks you'd like." Gil shrugged.

"Okay. I'm curious. Is she a good cook?"

"I'd be afraid to try something she cooked to be honest, but I have no idea if she cooks well or not," JT said.

Malcolm shrugged and got to his feet. "I'm open to experimentation."

He swore he heard JT mumble 'I bet' but Malcolm ignored it. He left his partners at the fire pit but didn't quite make it all the way to the house. He stared into the woods, for a moment thinking his memory might flare up. But it was gone as fast as it came, with no enlightenment in its wake. Shrugging, Malcolm headed off to find out what Edrisa had for him. He was still on the outside of things but maybe today had taken him one step closer to being on the inside. The woods might make him nervous, but he was very glad he had come to the party.


End file.
